“The Dead” by James Joyce In “The Dead” by James Joyce Joyce uses a winter setting to create his scene. Many writers use nature to show human nature and the human condition. Joyce's use of snow to shed light on characters and convey the meaning of events provides insight into the themes of "The Dead." Snow has many interpretations. It can be beautiful, as it outlines vegetation and adds definition to their shapes. It can be seen as a symbolism of innocence and new beginnings. Snow can be seen as the beginning or end of life as it usually means the end of a life as the plants it falls on die. It also means new life as melting brings forth new life. Gabriel, the main character of “The Dead,” imitates snow in this way. Gabriel is a man who really doesn't know where he belongs and doesn't know who he should be. It represents a world covered in snow, a blank slate. When he arrives at the party it begins to snow, covering his clothes oppressively. This is similar to his role as an Irishman. Which for him is a restrictive, cold and oppressive routine. He is even trapped by his cautious and inhibited personality. His wife, on the other hand, is the opposite. He is a free spirit, who loves adventure and wants more from life. This creates conflict for him as he has difficulty talking to women. They talk about Michael, her love since she was young, and how, even though he was ill, he traveled to accompany her on her journey through the snow and cold. Gabriel shows real emotion for the first time as he sleeps letting tears stream down his face and stares at the white snow. This shows the beginning of him being a new man. The snow at the beginning of the story is seen as an oppressive diminishment of life as if... middle of paper... us today, but Kipling seemed to marvel at the very thought that these people did not jump to their feet thanks to their conquerors” civilizers." Rather than bringing different people together, this work simply created a wider divide between the two. It does not appear, however, that Kipling intended to see the poem as supporting the imperialist effort; in fact, reading carefully the way he phrases the lines would reveal that Kipling was offering warnings to anyone who decided that such ideas needed to be realized. It warns against laziness and dissolute behavior as they can quickly derail noble goals and intentions. He also warns of the need for patience, and tries to make clear that this type of work (raising a people to a more civilized culture) is difficult and can be quite burdensome – as he writes, it is the “labour of the servant and the street cleaner,” and not the “tawdry government of kings”..”